This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Chocolate Black Cat Cookies are a fun and easy homemade cookies recipe perfect for celebrating Halloween. Get your kids into the kitchen to bake these chocolate cookies with you!
Why We Love These Cookies
Baking these fun Chocolate Black Cat Cookies for Halloween has been a tradition in our house every year since I can remember! They are a quick and easy Halloween treat that are fun for kids of all ages to help with, too.
Seriously, my kids have been helping to make these cookies since they were toddlers and now they are teenagers! They will often make them on their own now to share some with friends.
The original recipe is from a newspaper clipping my mom cut out many, many years ago and they were something we made as I was growing. And I’ve literally been making them ever since!
A few years ago, I even won third place in a regional magazine’s recipe contest years ago! How fun is that?
What Ingredients Are Needed to Make These Black Cat Cookies?
Boxed Chocolate Cake Mix – Choose basic chocolate, chocolate fudge or Devil’s Food flavor. As long as it’s chocolate, you’re good to go.
Creamy Peanut Butter – We use the natural peanut butter but any kind will work. You can also substitute almond butter instead.
Eggs – regular large egss
Water – I like to list this because sometimes when it’s not in a recipe, I accidentally leave it out if it’s just in the instructions.
Granulated Sugar – I usually buy the sugar at Aldi’s or the store brand to save some money but any brand will do.
Chocolate Chips – We prefer the semi-sweet chips but you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Whatever you prefer will work!
Mini M&M Candies – You can usually find these in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips section. Sometimes they will be in the regular candy section but it depends on the store. Often times I can find just the green and red mix for the holidays and that makes it so much easier to sort out all the reds. In the past we would sometimes use red hot candy but found they can be harder to chew and not so great for younger kids.
How To Make Black Cat Cookies
With only a few ingredients, these black cat cookies are so fun and easy to make. They’re basically like a sugar cookie except they’re a chocolate and peanut butter version.
Roll the cookie dough into balls then in granulated sugar. After placing the balls on a baking sheet, I like to use a glass with a flat bottom to press the dough down to about ¼-inch thick.
Then comes the fun part! We use our fingers to pinch two ears at the top of the flattened cookie dough.
After that, add a red mini M&M candy for the nose and the chocolate chips for the eyes.
Lastly, use the tines of a fork to press “whiskers” into the cookie dough on either side of the cookie, just below the candy nose. I prefer a small fork as it seems easier but any kind will do.
I bake the cookies on a silicone baking mat (I love them by the way for all kinds of things!) on a baking sheet. Then I can avoid using baking spray and clean up is so easy.
Can These Cookies Be Made Ahead?
Yes! You can make and bake these cookies the day before you plan to serve them and store in an airtight container.
You can also do part of the prep ahead of time. Last time I separated the M&M Candies the day before I planned to make them saving me a little time. This is something you can do with your kids too!
Sometimes I will also measure out the separated red candies, chocolate chips and granulated sugar either earlier in the day of baking or even the day before. Just put a lid on the containers you use and then when you’re ready to make them those are a few less steps to worry about.
Can These Cookies Be Frozen?
These chocolate cakemix cookies freeze wonderfully! You can make them up to three months in advance (unlikely so far ahead, but possible!) Just store them in a labeled airtight container. These are my favorite labels for the freezer!
When ready to serve, set them out on the counter and let them come to room temperature–about 20-30 minutes.
More Halloween Party Treat Ideas
Looking for more Halloween treats to your lineup for a fun Halloween party? Check out my Halloween Skeleton Mexican Chocolate Sugar Cookies or Halloween Orange Peach Smoothie for some fun and easy ideas. Or these Black Cat Halloween Cupcakes from Your Cup of Cake or Candy Corn Crunch Halloween Mix from Hoosier Homemade also look great!
If you’ve tried this recipe, let me know how much you enjoyed it by coming back and leaving a comment below and a rating. I love hearing from you!
Easy Chocolate Black Cat Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box cake mix chocolate or devil’s food flavor
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter you could also substitute another nut butter or sun butter
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup chocolate chips for eyes
- 42 pieces red mini-chocolate candies We use the mini M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Mix together peanut butter, cake mix, eggs and ¼ cup water.
- Add more water as needed if dough is too stiff.
- Roll dough into 1 ½” balls. Roll ball in sugar and place on cookie sheet.
- Then press ball flat with bottom of a glass to about 1/4-inch thick
- Begin forming into cat faces by pinching two ears at the top of flattened cookie dough.
- Add two chocolate chips for the eyes and one red chocolate candy for the nose.
- Use a fork to form the whiskers on either side of face.
- Bake 7-8 minutes. They will be soft to the touch.
- Cool on baking sheet for one minute then remove to baking rack to cool completely.
Notes
Make Ahead Cookie Baking Tips
Can These Cookies Be Made Ahead?
Yes! You can make and bake these cookies the day before you plan to serve them and store in an airtight container. You can also do part of the prep ahead of time. Last time I separated the M&M Candies the day before I planned to make them saving me a little time. This is something you can do with your kids too! Sometimes I will also measure out the separated red candies, chocolate chips and granulated sugar either earlier in the day of baking or even the day before. Just put a lid on the containers you use and then when you’re ready to make them those are a few less steps to worry about.Can These Cookies Be Frozen?
These chocolate cakemix cookies freeze wonderfully! You can make them up to three months in advance (unlikely so far ahead, but possible!) Just store them in a labeled airtight container. These are my favorite labels for the freezer! When ready to serve, set them out on the counter and let them come to room temperature–about 20-30 minutes.Nutrition
Have a question or want to share recipe ideas with others? Then join my private Facebook group, Meal Planning Magic Community Table here. If you’ve already joined, be sure to add your friends that may find it helpful too!
Sign up to receive an email in your inbox for each new recipe and get a FREE menu plan printable: FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION
Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , or Instagram or sign up for my email list here so you never miss a new post! Each offers a little something different and are a great way to stay in the loop on new menu plans, recipe ideas, organizing tips and more!
Be sure to check out my Amazon Shop to discover the many items I use in my own kitchen. Meal Planning Magic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Ordering products mentioned here are at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Yvonne
They look fun but I don’t see the actual recipe.
Meal Plan Mom (Brenda)
Thanks for letting me know–I am looking into it. I did recently make some formatting changes on my website so perhaps that is the cause. Sorry for the inconvenience….I’ll let you know when it’s fixed!
Meal Plan Mom (Brenda)
Yvonne, I have been working on this and the recipe should be there now. I was in the middle of transitioning to a new recipe format display (with lots more features!) and I didn’t have all the settings set up correctly but all should be fixed now. Could you please let me know if you do or do not see it? Thanks and I hope you enjoy the cookies!